Time is such an interesting concept to me.
Part of me feels like my team and I just arrived in Busia, Kenya. A month has come and gone in the blink of an eye. I clearly remember arriving at the Easy Coach bus station in Busia in the pouring rain, instantly feeling welcomed by Reverend Gideon and Pastor Steve. I remember situating myself into this lifestyle, learning the best way to bucket shower, squat without missing, cook chapatti and get addicted to the best chai ever (we just learned the secret ingredient in the tea here is nicotine, oops. It maybe explains our need for chai three times a day).
But an even bigger part of me feels like we have been here forever, in the most beautiful sense. Mama and Gideon have become our family. When I walk down the muddy, pot-hole trodden road to their home, I see my home, in a sense. When I hear “How are you? How are you?� 5.4trillion times by adorable African children as I’m walking to do ministry, I wonder how I ever got through my day without feeling so loved. When I ride the Boda-Bodas down the main street of Busia, listening to Bon Iver and eating grilled corn, ignoring the zooming buses and stray animals that often provide for an interesting ride, I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be. It’s funny how the Lord reveals that through the most unique ways.
Kenya will forever remind me of:
Reverend Gideon & Mama
Deliverance Church
Feeling so welcomed by strangers as we are out doing ministry
Pastor Steve and his adorable family
Running under the hot African sun (while Massai cheer us on)
The cutest babies in the world
Rubix Cubes
Smiles and hugs from the street children
Adhiambo
Sleeping/cuddling three in a bed under a hot mosquito net/waking up to Rachel’s elbow in my face
Learning how to cook chapattis, samosas and cabbage rolls
Spanish Soap Operas dubbed in English (Soy Tu Dueña was a personal favorite)
Chai (and our addiction to it)
Holocene by Bon Iver
Mr. Tumnus, our pet goat who later turned into our entrée �
Crazy, fun and intensely spiritual worship
Cadbury Hazelnut Chocolate, Cinnamon Toast and Avocado, tomato and onion sandwiches (avocados as big as my head)
Our favorite fruit stand, where an extra orange is always slipped in by Mama Lehema
Preaching my first sermon
“Mzungu, mzungu! How are you, how are you??�
Planking Lake Victoria
Hiking up a mountain with 20+ African children
Hand washing laundry (and learning that I LOVE it)
Settlers of Catan
Dancing in the rain while people stare at us crazy mzungus
Feeling more loved and at home in a new place than ever before
All of these things will remind me of Kenya and my first month on the race.
I will miss Kenya and everything that comes with this beautiful country.
But it is time.
I had the word “uprooted� spoken over me the other day by a dear friend.
It is the perfect word to describe this process and trip that I’m on.
I see that as I travel from country to country, not only am I learning the process of uprooting myself from place to place, but the junk within me is being uprooted as well.
God is taking out the harmful, toxic roots in me and replacing them with His roots. As I go from country to country, the people and places will contribute to this “weeding� out of my roots and to the “planting� of the Lord’s seeds. These seeds will grow, flourish and be foundational to who I am. As I am developing these strong roots, the seeds of truth I bring to the nations will only become stronger and fuller. While the uprooting may be painful, both within me as well as particular to the race, it is necessary to the season of life I am in.
I am thankful for the way the Lord has used this season of Kenya to “weed� out junk in me and for the seeds that have been planted in me and through me. But I cannot wait to see the way the Lord furthers this work in Uganda. Specifically in Mbarara, Uganda, which is where my team and I will be living. This has been a beautiful country and season, but I am ready for the next.
Uganda here I come.
